Think of a time when you were younger that you faked or exaggerated an illness to get out of a

difficult academic or interpersonal situation. Describe the situation, how did your
parents/caregivers react to these complaints? What effect did their reactions have?

That moment we are in class, and math is not my favorite subject. I pretended to have a severe
headache. And I cry because I imagine it to be so painful. My advisor then escorted me to the principal. I
was shy when the principal touched my head to determine if I had a fever. However, seeing them causes
me to tear, which is uncomfortable. Thus, the principle permitted me to return home. My mother asked
me why I returned home early, and I responded that my head was aching. Then she instructed me to
simply rest and lie in bed. She provides me with food and medicine. I ate the food but didn't take the
medicine because I was worried; thankfully, my mother did not see me. I felt my mother's care and love
at that time, and I was glad since she always does it when I'm sick.

As a consequence of the response that my mother gave, I experience conflicting emotions, including
delight and melancholy, due to the love and worry that she has for me. I was also anxious because I
didn't want her to suspect that I suffer from migraines. There is a history of migraines in our family,
which led me to wonder what would happen if my mother came to the conclusion that I did in fact
suffer from migraines. The fact that both my adviser and principal are worried about me makes me
unhappy as well. So I'm scared to fake scenario again the next day. I go to school and do well in my
classes, especially math. I told myself I wouldn't do it again.

When I was younger, it was the stupidest thing I could have possibly done. My experience has taught me
that creating a false circumstance in order to get out of doing something you enjoy is not a smart idea
since the people around you may be affected by it or it may cause them to worry about it.